From the Heart
by fukuji mihoko
Summary: Barnaby struggles with his feelings as he tentatively, without really meaning to or understanding how, manages to make his first friend in almost fifteen years.
1. Bunny

**From the Heart  
><strong>o1: Bunny

* * *

><p>Barnaby wasn't happy about the present he'd received- not at all. Why had that stupid old man thought he'd appreciate such a <em>weird <em>present? Barnaby had never once made any indication he wanted a bright pink rabbit that looked a little lopsided, eyes crossed and ears so big it couldn't sit up properly.

Hell, Barnaby had never once made any indication he wanted a present at all.

Or that it was even his birthday.

He _didn't._

He didn't want that stupid old man prying into his life; telling him to eat enough vegetables and wrap up warm in winter- and, what, did he think Barnaby was completely incapable of taking care of himself?

Did that old man think he was _stupid_?

Barnaby could managed on his own just fine. He wasn't a little child anymore- he didn't need the warm smile of a wannabe father figure ("_T-they're not… going to wake up… are they…?"_), he was fine, fine, just **fine**.

It was a mantra that had been running through his head over and over ever since Christmas eve all those years ago; the memory of that bitterly cold day, snowflakes catching in his eyelashes as he pushed open the front door- warm, warm, why was it so warm inside?- still haunting him- _you've got to avenge them, got to, it's what they would have wanted…_

Barnaby couldn't afford to be weak. He was fine, he would always be fine; he was perfectly alright by himself, so why did Kotetsu think he needed all his concern? He'd learnt not to rely on other people anymore- it only led to tears; it was a weakness.

It was a lesson well learned.

Barnaby didn't like that old man at all. He acted like a young child most of the time; smiling widely like an idiot- or else he'd grumble and whine because he didn't get his own way, he didn't get any screen time- and yeah, okay, Barnaby knew that old man didn't really care about the spotlight so much as he cared about helping people, but that old man would never help _anyone _if he kept prying his nose into other people's business!

They were partners for the media, nothing more.

That old man seemed to have got a little confused on that point, though; seemed to have forgotten he disliked Barnaby and Barnaby disliked him, because he'd tried to stage that stupid, stupid surprise birthday party (and look how well all his meddling went then), and then he'd given Barnaby that… that…

Barnaby's eyes narrowed as he stared at the ugly pink bunny; leaning forwards under the weight of its own ears.

Pathetic.

Childish.

He was above such things; he didn't need them- _I'm fine, just fine. _

And yet, if that was the case…

Why hadn't he thrown the stupid stuffed toy away?

And why…

Why was he… smiling…?


	2. Hair

**From the Heart  
><strong>o2: Hair

* * *

><p>Barnaby wasn't sure when it happened. Then again, that was only to be expected. The human brain was typically unable to pinpoint the exact moment when it fell asleep, being far too busy shutting down to pay great attention to its own inner workings.<p>

All Barnaby knew was that one moment he'd been sat on the couch of the Hero TV headquarters, trying to snatch a quick handful of rest of relaxation, and then the next, he'd woken up…

With his head in Kotetsu's lap.

Kotetsu's fingers were threaded through his hair.

How on earth had _that _happened?

Kotetsu had a distant, unusually thoughtful look on his face. It made him look older than he was- and Barnaby couldn't help but think, despite his sudden start at being awoken in such a weird manner, that… it was kind of sad.

Not so sad that he wasn't going to flush and stutter and then get really quite angry at his personal space being invaded, though.

Pushing Kotetsu away (pleased at hearing the old man give an inelegant yelp of surprise), Barnaby pushed himself into a slightly-more-dignified-than-laying-in-Kotetsu's-lap sitting position and glared at the stupid old man.

He glared at him _hard_.

When he spoke, his voice was icy.

"Don't you have **any **concept of personal space?"

"U-um, yeah…" A nervous laugh. "I know it well enough, I guess, ahaha… ha…"

"Then why were you doing?"

At least Kotetsu looked suitably abashed; his own face just as flushed as Barnaby's. If his eyes grew any wider they were in serious danger of falling out of their sockets.

"H-hey, Bunny, I thought you were asleep?"

"I _was_, and then I woke up. It's the natural termination of a sleeping cycle, in case you hadn't noticed."

"Aha… O-oh yeah…" Another nervous laugh. "I-I must have forgotten about that part…"

"Honestly, what were you _thinking_?" Barnaby asked, fingers running through his hair- trying to smooth down his now-smushed curls into perfect order. His movements stopped, however, when the tips of his fingers brushed against something.

It was a half-formed braid, not tied up; now beginning to unravel.

Kotetsu had been… plaiting his hair?

Okay, that went beyond 'being an idiot with no sense of personal space'- which was something Kotetsu specialized in. That was honestly… kind of creepy.

It was official. Barnaby Brooks Jr. was _creeped out_.

"Kotetsu. What's this?"

"Well, I don't know… An alien device from another planet?"

Kotetsu pretended to play dumb (not that he needed to pretend most of the time), as he looked at the falling-apart braid Barnaby was tugging on gently.

Barnaby glared.

"D-damn, you're scary when you do that," said Kotetsu, trying to laugh off his obvious embarrassment, as he smiled nervously. "Have you been taking lessons from Agnes?"

"Stop stalling; I want to know what you were thinking when you did _this_- or if you were even thinking at all."

"That's pretty harsh. You make it sound like I've murdered somebody."

"_Kotetsu_."

"Alright, alright! I give! Don't pull that face anymore, okay, it doesn't suit you," said Kotetsu, holding his hands up before his face in a goofy self-defensive gesture. "I-if you want the truth… Well. Aha, it's a little embarrassing; surely you don't want to listen to an old man ranting about... nothing really… do you, Bunny?"

_Glare._

"Oh, fine, fine. How could I refuse you when you're pulling a face like that? But you've gotta teach me how to do that, seriously. Nobody would ever insult me again."

And then- looking far more nervous than Barnaby had ever seen Kotetsu look before (that was a little worrying)- Kotetsu inhaled heavily…

And then began to talk.

Inelegantly babble, more like.

"You see, you were asleep, and… I don't know, you looked kind of a lot younger than usual, 'cause when you're awake you're all serious and 'I can never be happy look at me frown!', but when you were asleep you looked… kind of like a kid; o-or at least, more relaxed and… and… it made me think of… Kaede."

Barnaby had been prepared for any number of excuses, but he hadn't expected that.

He blinked at Kotetsu in confusion.

"Your daughter…?"

Kotetsu nodded. "I always used to plait her hair for her when she was a little kid- like, really little… And, I don't know… I just… felt a bit nostalgic. That was all." A wide smile. "It's no big deal. I just having a senior moment, I guess!"

But… that wasn't right.

Kotetsu was trying to shake off his brief moment of melancholy with bright smiles, using his usual airhead personality as an excuse for his sudden sadness; and that wasn't right at all! Barnaby didn't know why he felt so strongly on the subject- but, if it was true… then Kotetsu was trying to hide how he really felt- _again_.

He always did that- just because he didn't want other people to worry.

It was... okay… if other people worried, though, wasn't it?

"You miss her, don't you?" said Barnaby quietly; looking at Kotetsu intently.

There was a pause.

Then, with a movement so slight Barnaby hardly noticed… Kotetsu nodded.

"I guess… sometimes, yeah. A lot of the time, really. Heh." A lopsided smile. "I wouldn't be much of a parent if I didn't miss her. But I'm not going to saddle you with all that, Lil' Bunny- you don't need to worry."

"No. I do."

"B-bunny…?"

"Don't keep any more secrets from me, okay? I'm not so selfish as to think I'm the only person in the world with problems."

Kotetsu looked at Barnaby in shock; before, finally, his features softened. He smiled- though it was a little shaky- and nodded.

"Y-yeah… You're right. Thank you, Bunny."

Barnaby sighed. "You don't need to thank me, idiot. We _are_ partners, after all."


	3. Paper planes

**From the Heart  
><strong>o3: Paper planes

* * *

><p>It happened when Barnaby was sat on the couch in the lounge of the Hero TV Headquarters, staring moodily at one of the walls as though he was trying to burn a hole through it with his eyes. Given laser vision wasn't part and parcel with his NEXT abilities, it wasn't going too well. The wall remained as sturdy as ever.<p>

So Barnaby had sat and stared (and stared and stared and _stared_), lost in his thoughts- which weren't really very happy- as he tried to make some sense of his feelings.

It was over, wasn't it? They had defeated Jake and he had extracted his revenge on the man who had killed his parents- revenge which had fuelled his life for almost fifteen years, and still…

He felt empty- just like a deflated balloon.

That was when it hit Barnaby; really hit him- just like a slap across the face.

He was a shrivelled mess of human being- not really fit to call himself 'human' at all. He had survived solely on rage and hate and thoughts of revenge for most of his life, and it had- slowly but surely- eaten away at his insides like so many distended, writhing maggots; sapping him of any human softness and leaving only a hollowed-out crab shell with a spiky outside and nothing within.

He had defeated Jake.

What now?

Did he even have any purpose anymore? Was there a reason for him to be a hero when he had already fulfilled his goal? Just like a wrapper on a piece of candy, once you'd eaten the candy, the wrapper had fulfilled its single goal in life and you just threw it away. Was it… the same principle now?

That thought was so horrible Barnaby winced despite the careful arrangement of his expression in an attempt to conceal his slowly surfacing fears.

_Whoosh._

A sudden noise made Barnaby look up, jolted from his thoughts in an instant; and then a pressure hit him in the back of the head- far too light to hurt, but irritating all the same, like being poked with a needle.

He was amazed he'd managed to feel anything at all.

Turning about, he found the object that had struck him was nothing more than a paper airplane; folded in a wonky way, like the sender had no understanding of aerodynamics, or maybe they were just clumsy.

When Barnaby opened up the mess of (badly) folded paper, he soon found himself inclined to believe in the latter.

_Hey, Lil' Bunny!_

_You're looking kind of down over there. Cheer up, okay? You're making this old man worry- and you'd severely disappoint your huge fan base if you lost the ability to smile! As my mom always said, 'misery is optional'! :3_

A small, crudely drawn picture of a cartoon bunny had been doodled onto the bottom of the page, looking at Barnaby with eerily huge, dead, empty eyes.

Even so, Barnaby couldn't help but… smile when he read that.

Passing notes via paper planes was childish; something the kids had done at school when they didn't want the teacher to catch them, and Barnaby had always been above that nonsense; a studious child, always working hard… to ensure he could avenge his parents one day…

That had been the driving force behind everything he did- and now it was gone, he… was nothing…

But that wasn't right.

That wasn't right at all.

As Barnaby held onto the crinkled message, fingers trembling slightly, a second epiphany hit him; and damn, if those stupid epiphanies kept doing that he'd end up with a fractured skull, but at that moment he didn't care- he didn't care, because, suddenly, for the first time in a few weeks, he felt _happy_.

Revenge didn't need to be his only reason for living. Now, without the painful memories of his parents' death haunting his waking mind, he was free to make a new reason for being alive.

Talking with friends.

Saving civilians.

Maybe even doing something small, not really important, like learning how to cook without setting food on fire.

He could try and do all that now, and there was nothing to stop him.

Misery was optional, after all.

Barnaby smiled to himself, shaking his head, as he turned the letter over and quickly wrote a response on the back;

_I'm fine, old man. Maybe you should worry about yourself- like, oh, your abysmally low ratings on the popularity websites. And why couldn't you just say that to my face? Do we really need to resort to throwing bits of paper at each other like children?_

_P.S. … … thank you._


	4. Present

**From the Heart  
><strong>o4: Present

* * *

><p>"Ha! I never thought I'd end up <em>here<em> again!"

"It's not like I want you imposing upon me," said Barnaby, voice a fine mixture of stiff sprinkled with a topping of awkward, as he slammed the door of his apartment closed with a _thump_. "You pretty much invited yourself over, old man."

"Well, I've got to check you're eating properly and everything!" said Kotetsu, smiling brightly. "That's what partners do, right?"

"No. That's what stalkers do."

Kotetsu pouted. "Geez, you're so _prickly_, Bunny."

"Prickly?"

"Like a cactus. It's almost as if I'm not allowed to worry about you without getting splinters."

"You don't get splinters from cacti," said Barnaby, correcting Kotetsu almost on autopilot. And yet, despite his aloof attitude… he couldn't hide the fact that he was happy.

Maybe.

Just a little.

_Begrudgingly _happy, at least.

"I guess getting 'splinters' wouldn't dissuade you from prying into my personal business, though," said Barnaby- trying, and failing, to keep the fondness from seeping into his voice.

Kotetsu only laughed. "Well, you've got it right there. I don't give up easy! Now, let's take a look around!"

"Sure, sure. Just don't make a mess."

"Don't worry, I won't. I'm kind of afraid to touch anything in this place, to be honest. It's all so clean and looks so expensive; I'd probably break something!"

"That's not making me feel any better."

Kotetsu only laughed; the sound of his continuous chatter now trailing through the house as he looked in the kitchen (the work surfaces all startling sparkling), the bathroom (shelves lined with numerous bottles of hair gunge Karina would probably be able to recognize but Kotetsu didn't) and the… bedroom…?

"Hey!" said Barnaby, eyes narrowing, as he stood in the threshold of his room. His arms were folded, fingers tapping impatiently. "What are you doing? Haven't you heard of social boundaries?"

"Well, I've _heard_ of them, sure…"

Barnaby sighed, running his hands through his hair. "You really are hopeless."

"Yep. It's all part of my charm. People like it when I fall flat on my ass all the time; it gives you a chance to save me," said Kotetsu, smiling; perhaps hiding some embarrassment behind those light-hearted words as he laughed awkwardly.

Quickly, Kotetsu tried to move the conversation onto another topic- taking a seat, quite uninvited, on Barnaby's bed.

"Whoa, Bunny! It's really soft! So you really _can _buy happiness with money, huh?"

"Well, I haven't had a chance to enjoy it very much lately," said Barnaby; speaking without thinking as he took a seat beside Kotetsu.

It was only when Kotetsu gave him a slightly surprised look that Barnaby realized what he'd just said.

Damn.

When he was with Kotetsu, he completely forgot how to be secretive; how to hold his cards to his chest, as he had been doing for most of his life. All of a sudden, without thinking, or even intending to, he began to leak secrets from his lips like water from a tap- becoming as stupidly thoughtless as Kotetsu himself.

"Oh…" Kotetsu looked sympathetic. "Bad dreams, huh?"

"O-of course not, I…"

But… wasn't Barnaby the one who'd said they had to trust each other? It was best, surely, that he told Kotetsu everything.

Most things, at least.

"Yeah…" Barnaby admitted, after a pause long enough to feel just a little uncomfortable. "Yeah. A few."

"And your memory is still…?"

Barnaby nodded; fingers moving to press against his temples. "Yeah. It's… getting a little messy up there."

"You wouldn't think it, given how 'together' you always look at work. I mean, apart from the bags underneath your eyes."

"Thanks. You're doing _wonders _for my self esteem."

"No problem," said Kotetsu, giving Barnaby a small smile. "Ha. Maybe I should start calling you 'panda' instead."

"Please don't. If you did, I'd have to kill you."

"Aha~ So serious, Lil' Bunny! But, don't worry; I'll be with you, and we can sort this thing… out…?"

But Kotetsu's voice trailed away as his fingers, curled against the top of the duvet, found something soft hiding under the blankets of Barnaby's bed. A stuffed toy? Barnaby didn't look like the type…

Without really thinking about whether he was being rude or not, Kotetsu pulled the unidentified fluffy object out from its prison of bedcovers- Barnaby's cheeks turning light pink as he did so- but they turned dark red when Kotetsu said, slightly amused,

"Hey! It's you, Bunny!"

The lopsided, slightly mutated-looking, bright pink rabbit toy Kotetsu and the others had given Barnaby for his birthday was held in Kotetsu's hands. It looked slightly worse for wear; fur worn slightly, and there was a rip on one of its ears… but at least it was proof Barnaby had actually taken a liking to it.

Ha. And Barnaby had tried to frown when he'd received it.

An image of Barnaby, unbidden, crept into Kotetsu's mind; of him hugging the stuffed bunny tightly whilst he tried to go to sleep, nightmares crowding his mind until he could hardly breathe and he clung on even tighter…

Just how lonely was Barnaby, exactly? Just how empty was his life, for him to cling onto a present like this so dearly?

Maybe he wasn't used to receiving gifts.

In fact, Kotetsu was 100% sure that was the case.

Poor kid…

"I-it's not like I _like _it or anything," Barnaby snapped, face flushed, as he snatched the bunny from Kotetsu. Contrary to his words, however, he was holding the plush toy tightly to his chest; a possessive motion that could only be described as 'adorable'. "I-I just kept it around because… Well, I don't know why, but-"

"No, it's alright. I'm glad you like it so much. I guess I got you a pretty amazing present after all!"

Barnaby narrowed his eyes.

"What are you talking about? It was a joint present from all of you, wasn't it? You didn't get me anything yourself."

"Well, yeah, I suppose so, but…" Kotetsu smiled; apparently a little abashed, despite his unfailing cheery nature. "Well, I _did_ make that myself, you know."

Barnaby's eyes widened slightly. He held onto the bunny just a little tighter; and if it had been a real animal it would have been crying as its internal organs all ruptured in one big, bloody mess.

"You… made it?"

"Uh huh." A nod. "I mean, I'm kind of… decent… at sewing, I guess. Tomoe taught me 'cause she got sick and tired of being the one who had to reattach the loose buttons on Kaede's clothes all the time. I must've made about a million and one errors when sewing that stupid thing for you though; it was a complete _disaster_. Much like most other things I do, haha… But it was a disaster from the heart!"

"From the heart…?"

Barnaby looked down at the stuffed rabbit toy in his hands- and, embarrassingly enough, he felt himself becoming slightly misty eyed. Kotetsu had _made _it for him?

But that…

I-it was the first handmade present Barnaby had received in a long time- a really, really long time, after all those lumpy sweaters his mother used to knit him…

"Bunny? Are you alright?"

"I-I'm fine," Barnaby replied; voice a little shaky, though he tried to squash down all those annoying little emotions that clamoured around him like bugs. "R-really. Ha." A smirk; carefully manufactured, even though he still felt strangely shaky inside and wasn't sure whether he was happy or sad or a good confused mess of happysad all thrown together. "I always wondered why one of the eyes was higher up than the other; I guess that's the reason."

Barnaby wasn't really aware when he had started crying; but it was probably about the same time Kotetsu, still smiling his silly smile, pulled him into a hug.


	5. Being happy

**From the Heart  
><strong>o5: Being happy

* * *

><p>"I can't <em>believe <em>I'm doing this."

"And I can't believe you're making such a big deal out of it," said Kotetsu, grinning. "I thought you'd jump at the chance to show off to a larger group of people than usual, Lil' Bunny."

"Don't call me that," Barnaby snapped, almost as autopilot. "And I don't 'show off'."

"Well, if you say so…" Kotetsu said, tugging at the laces of the laces of his ice skates.

Kotetsu was determined to make sure the stakes were on properly. This wouldn't be a repeat of the whole 'kicking-off-his-skates-into-a-young-girl's-head-because-he-didn't-tie-them-tight-enough' scenario when he'd gone ice skating with Kaede last time. Kaede had shouted that he was useless and she didn't want to be seen in public with such a clumsy idiot, whilst the young girl who'd taken a skate to the head began to bleed copiously everywhere.

Overall, that hadn't been a good day; a definitely low point in the life of Kaburagi T. Kotetsu.

It was a miracle he'd decided to go skating with Barnaby at all, given the memories of last time.

It was a greater miracle that Barnaby had actually _agreed_ to come with him, though.

"Don't 'if you say so' me, it's _true_. I'm not really that proud and arrogant, am I…?" asked Barnaby.

Kotetsu laughed. "Of course not, of course not! Although…"

"Although…?"

"I _do _have to wonder about your hair sometimes," said Kotetsu, taking one of Barnaby's golden coils of hair and tugging gently. It _sproinged_ back into its usual place once he let go, just like a spring. "It's so soft- and it looks like that _all the time_! How long does _that _take to style every morning?"

Barnaby scowled. "I don't know, it just goes like that."

"It just 'goes like that', huh?"

"I-it's called taking care of your personal appearance!" Barnaby said angrily (man, he was more snappy than an alligator), as he got to his feet. "Maybe you should try it sometime!"

"Wow. That was kind of harsh, Lil' Bunny."

"The truth hurts. And I already said, don't call me that."

"But you have really nice, soft hair like one! See; _that's_ a problem with your three hour long hair care regime; it just makes you fit your nickname even more, and then I want to pat you on the head!"

Barnaby glowered- though the effect was ruined slightly by his flushed cheeks. "You are _impossible_."

Kotetsu only grinned.

"But you love me really."

Barnaby opened his mouth to retort, but before he had a chance Kotetsu was already talking-

"Now, let's go, Bunny," said Kotetsu, winking. "This old man wants to show you how a professional ice skates- a-and of course, I won't kick my shoes off at the heads of any young children this time either, ihihi…"

Barnaby sighed; but there was something soft crossing his face. It looked very much as though he was trying not to laugh.

"That was a suspiciously specific denial…"

"Y-yeah, well… everybody makes mistakes?"

"And some more than others. You're pretty much a human mine field, aren't you? Honestly- I can't take you _anywhere_ without you breaking a few walls or decapitating some young children."

"She wasn't decapitated; she was just fine! Apart from the stitches… Aww, come on, Bunny!" Kotetsu whined, grabbing hold of Barnaby's arm. "I felt really bad about it- like, I'm the worst human in the universe bad- and then I- w-whoa!"

Somehow, even whilst he was simply standing still, Kotetsu managed to fall over.

Maybe it was his special talent.

Luckily, Barnaby was there to catch him.

"Hm… Now, doesn't this scene seem familiar?" asked Barnaby, voice lightly teasing, as a smile tugged at his lips.

Kotetsu only pouted.

"Alright. If you're so worried about causing grievous bodily harm to anymore young girls, I suggest you hang onto me. I might be able to steer you around- but if you destroy something, then you're on your own, old man."

Barnaby really did laugh when Kotetsu began to blush at his light-hearted teasing.

How long had it been… since he had laughed like that?

His memories might have been a hazy mix of soup in his brain- fire burning around the edges of his mind, whilst the face of his parents' murderer shifted over and over again like ripples in a pond of water- but… even so, despite the pain, the confusion and the steady stream of bad dreams, when he was with Kotetsu like that… he felt happy.

For an hour, at least, all the revenge and confusion and the nightmares could wait.

Barnaby was having fun with a… 'friend', he supposed; and although the word was alien, unknown, he wouldn't have traded those feelings for the world.


	6. Mayonnaise

**From the Heart  
><strong>o6: Mayonnaise

* * *

><p>"Wow! This looks amazing, Bunny!"<p>

"No it doesn't," said Barnaby, crossing his arms against the front of his apron in a defensive manner. "It's not 'amazing' at all- it's the first time I've ever tried to cook anything properly, and-"

"Oh, stop being modest," said Kotetsu, smiling, as Barnaby reluctantly placed the plate of fried rice before him. "Is a certain somebody fishing for compliments, Bunny?~"

"N-not really, no."

"Ha! I knew it!" Kotetsu said, grinning. "Lil' Bunny's shy. I never thought I'd see the day! Maybe I should take a photo; I can hardly believe you would act like this, Bunny!"

"Maybe you should eat your food and shut up," Barnaby countered. "I worked hard on that- well, not hard, not _really_," he frantically backpedalled; beginning to babble from a sudden attack of jittery, quivering butterfly-nerves, "but I worked on it all the same and I think you could stop teasing me and just eat it before I force feed it to you _myself_, idiot!"

Kotetsu watched as Barnaby ranted, his cool, mysterious façade left in tatters, and couldn't help but smile slightly as Barnaby's face grew redder and redder.

At first, Kotetsu had thought Barnaby was some annoying kid who only cared about points; who didn't have a good side (or if he did, he did a wonderful job of hiding it) and who worked mechanically like a point-scoring machine, calculating the best moments to arrive on the scene and snatch the victory from somebody else.

He'd been wrong, of course.

Kotetsu was wrong about a lot of this- but his early judgements of Barnaby had been so completely off the mark it was almost laughable.

Barnaby wasn't the cold, heartless robot he pretended to be at all. There was something soft, unguarded and incredibly human that hid under those small smirks and icy eyes; occasionally surfacing in sudden bursts like this when Barnaby was too flustered to remember he was supposed to be cold and icy enough to rival Blue Rose. He was an easily embarrassed kid- wait, man (because Barnaby wasn't a child, not at all), who wasn't sure how to deal with other people and he didn't know how to make them happy and he was a little afraid of failing, but he did his best all the same.

That bundle of doubts and worries and indecision and 'I'll try my best even though I don't what I'm doing' was the _real_ Barnaby; the one Kotetsu (and everybody else, for that matter) rarely got to see, and whenever that side of his personality surfaced it was impossible not to feel endeared towards him.

Even if Barnaby obviously had no idea how to interact with other human beings- sheltered upbringing and trauma and all- but Kotetsu could at least help him, in any way he knew how.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Barnaby snapped, breaking off his angry tirade to glare at Kotetsu. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"Your glasses?"

"I-I know that! Just hurry up and eat your food!"

"Okay, okay, sure. It looks really good- and I wasn't joking about that earlier, or trying to make you feel bad, or anything like that at all. You think I'm smart enough to insult you subtly like that?" asked Kotetsu, grinning.

Barnaby scowled a little- but, after hearing Kotetsu's words, his expression softened.

"No. You're not intelligent enough for that."

"Exactly! So cheer up, Lil' Bunny!"

"I-I'll cheer up when you stop using that stupid nickname!" said Barnaby, hands on hips- but, despite what he said, he was smiling. "I don't give you a stupid name like- hey, where are you going?"

"Yeah, 'hey, where are you going?' would be a bit of stupid name. Kind of a mouthful."

"Stop being facetious."

"Facetious…?"

"You know perfectly well what I mean."

"I would know what you meant if you didn't talk at me like a dictionary, Bunny! I can hardly keep up with you sometimes!"

"If you don't understand a word then look it up! Geez, it's not _difficult _to be intelligent, you know!"

"Now you sound like my mother…"

"Yeah, I have to wonder who the real adult here is. And anyway, that's not what this is about- I mean, why are you rootling around through my fridge? Go back and sit at the table and eat your food!"

Baranby's words, unspoken, hung in the air. They carried more weight than those he had actually said.

_I made it just for you._

"Of course, Bunny. Sorry; I was just looking for mayonnaise. And… ta da!" With a gesture that was far too dramatic for the situation, Kotetsu pulled a bottle of mayonnaise from the fridge.

Kotetsu was surprised Barnaby had any mayo, to be honest, given how empty and clinical his house had been last time he visited. He had entertained thoughts that Barnaby didn't actually eat, and instead photosynthesized, or was actually an alien, but obviously not.

When Barnaby saw the bottle in Kotetsu's hands, his eyes narrowed.

"No. Put it back."

"Awww. Why, Bunny?"

Barnaby's face turned pink. He began to stutter; apparently lost for words. That was kind of funny, given he was able to pull huge words like 'facetious' out of nowhere that Kotetsu had never even heard of before.

"Because… because…"

"Because…?"

"Because I made that food just for you!" Barnaby suddenly exclaimed; saying what had been hovering, unspoken, in his mind since the moment he put the plate down before Kotetsu. "I don't want you masking the taste completely with mayonnaise or anything- I want you to eat it exactly the way it is!"

Kotetsu's eyes widened slightly at that; staring at Barnaby in surprise.

He hadn't expected Bunny would be so sensitive… but maybe he hadn't thought at all- because this was the first time Barnaby had cooked for anybody else, and he'd tried so hard; that much was obvious by the few plasters stuck to his fingers, and the small burn on the back of his hand.

Wasn't that what had happened when Kotetsu made that bunny toy for Barnaby, though? He'd pricked himself with the needle countless times; sewed up bits wrong and unpicked half hours' worth of faulty work; even drawn blood as he stitched up finger instead of stuffed toy- and yet, despite all that, he'd still preserved.

It was… exactly the same thing.

Damn.

The sight of Barnaby getting so worked up about making a meal for him was so tragically heart-warming and adorable Kotetsu almost overwhelmed gratitude; stupid, he knew, but still…

"Kotetsu?" Barnaby asked, after a small pause. "Are you okay? You've suddenly gone… very quiet…"

It was the sound of his first name, spoken so softly by Barnaby, that pulled him out of his reverie. The bottle of mayonnaise was cold against his fingertips; still retaining their temperature from the fridge.

Then, he put the bottle to one side-

And smiled brightly.

"No. I'm fine. I'm better than fine, you… You silly lil' Bunny."

And, with that, Kotetsu pulled a flustered Barnaby into a hug.

He had been wrong about Barnaby before, Kotetsu knew that- but he hadn't quite realized just how wrong he had been.


	7. Christmas

**From the Heart  
><strong>o7: Christmas

* * *

><p>The shopping centre was crowded; people running about this way and that like ants in a hill, as relentless noise and chatter and advertisements flashing across billboards assaulted every single one of the senses. Colorful lights and decorations were strung up everywhere and inane Christmas music drifted through the air; a failed attempt to increase morale, given the people doing their Christmas shopping at nine p.m. all looked completely miserable.<p>

For once, Kotetsu was no exception to that rule.

"Come on, Bunny, help me out here!"

"You should know what your own daughter would want for Christmas," was Barnaby's flippant reply, as he folded his arms and gave Kotetsu a withering look.

"That's so cold, Bunny! I just want some advice, that's all."

"And why would you need advice from me, exactly?"

"Because Kaede loves you. She thinks you're the most incredible thing since mayo on fried rice!"

"No. You're the _only_ one who thinks mayonnaise tastes good on fried rice. Besides, I already got her a present."

Kotetsu's face fell slightly. "You did? But I thought, if we bought it together-"

"Stop being lazy. Your present needs to be from _you_; not both of us. Otherwise, it wouldn't be special, would it?"

Kotetsu sighed, scratching his cheek as he thought.

"…You've got a point there."

"You shouldn't have left Christmas shopping until Christmas eve, either," Barnaby said, scolding Kotetsu as though he were a young child. "It was irresponsible. I figured you were the kind of person who'd buy Kaede's presents in the middle of July or something- not wait until the very last minute."

"I know, I know- I realize I messed up pretty bad, but…"

With a sigh of long suffering, Kotetsu slumped down onto the floor; not caring about the very real possibly he might get trampled underfoot by the crowd of late Christmas shoppers. Knees tucked under his chest, arms round his legs, head bowed, he looked more pathetic than ever.

As Barnaby looked at the defeated form of Kotetsu, he felt a small twinge of pity in his chest. That pity was great enough for Barnaby- the great Barnaby Brooks Jr., the most well-known hero of Sternbild- to willingly tear his own reputation to tatters, as he took a seat beside Kotetsu on the floor.

"Cheer up, Kotetsu," Barnaby said comfortingly (a tone of voice he didn't use very often- so he wasn't really sure whether his voice actually _was_ comforting or not but, hey, he tried), as he rested his hand on Kotetsu's shoulder. "You'll think of something."

"But it has to be something good; something I can use as an apology for being away so long… and I have no idea what that 'something' could be! Does a present like that even exist? The more I think about it, the more I realize I really don't know Kaede at all! If Tomoe was here she'd know what to do…"

Barnaby looked at Kotetsu in surprise. He'd never seen the older man look, or indeed sound, more despondent; eyes downcast, most of his face cast in shadow by the brim of his hat.

Kotetsu wasn't a hero; not anymore. After recovering from his wounds, he had finally handed in his resignation, and had returned home to be Kaede's full-time father, just as he had always promised. Whenever Barnaby spoke to Kotetsu on his cell phone the other always seemed bright and cheerful; always wanting to talk about something funny Kaede had said, or what they'd done together, or how she'd tried to bake cookies and put washing up liquid in them by accident- and although Barnaby missed Kotetsu (quite horribly, sometimes, too) he had tried to be happy for him, because he thought Kotetsu was happy and he didn't want to be selfish.

Kotetsu didn't look happy now, though.

Barnaby sighed.

"Idiot."

"W-what?"

"Idiot. I called you an idiot. If you don't know what means, you're even stupider than I thought."

And with that, Barnaby grabbed hold of Kotetsu's hat and pulling it off his head. This motion was met with a small 'h-hey, Bunny!', but Barnaby ignored him.

"Kaede's your daughter, isn't she? She'll love you no matter you get her for Christmas, so stop beating yourself up over it!"

"B-bunny…?"

"You know…" Barnaby looked into Kotetsu's eyes; his expression serious, eyes narrowed. "I'd love to have a dad like you- o-or, hell, a dad who was still alive; who could still give me presents I don't really like, because it's not about the presents, it's about being with another person and spending time with them! Isn't that the most important thing?"

Kotetsu gasped; mouth falling open in a small 'o'. He was completely lost for words.

Meanwhile, the faint sounds of chatter and cheery Christmas music drifted through the air.

Then…

Kotetsu nodded.

His smile was shaky, awkward, and tears were beading in his eyes- but he was still smiling, and, for Barnaby, that was more than enough.

"Y-yeah. You're right, Bunny. I'm… I'm sorry; I guess I was over-thinking everything."

"I guess you've got to do that sometimes to make up for not thinking enough in any other situation."

"I suppose so, haha… I-I… just wanted this Christmas to be perfect for Kaede. I don't want to disappoint her anything- like I am so very skilled at doing…"

"It will be perfect. It'll be perfect because you'll be there with her."

"And you, too."

"M-me?" Now it was Barnaby's turn to be confused. "I didn't know you were inviting-"

"Don't be silly, Lil' Bunny, of _course _you're coming, too! I thought that went without saying. You're practically one of the family now, you know?"

"Family…? M-me…?"

"Yes. Mom loves you. Kaede _adores _you. And I… I…" Kotetsu flushed slightly; looking a little abashed, a little nervous- but, nevertheless, his smile did not falter. "I… really care about you, too, Lil' Bunny. Why else would I go to you first when I'm having a midlife crisis and I don't know what to buy my daughter?"

The word _family _replayed in Barnaby's head over and over again, like a stuck CD. I-it couldn't be, could it? He hadn't had any real family since his parents died; and Maverick hardly counted, given he had raised him on a steady diet of mind control whilst pushing him into the path of being a hero; somebody he could manipulate to make money out of.

Kotetsu was different.

Kotetsu… really thought… he was 'family'?

That was too much for Barnaby- far more happiness than he deserved; than he had ever received before- and, even though it wasn't Christmas quite yet, it was the best gift he had ever had.

With a lump in his throat, composure shattered into small pieces, he sniffed slightly-

And then buried his head against Kotetsu's shoulder, wrapping his arms tightly around his middle.

_Family_.

Kotetsu was pushed backwards against the wall at this sudden motion, and he gave a small 'oof' in pain; a laugh and, "I-I'm really too old to be treated like this, Bunny! You're a lot heavier than Kaede, you know?"

But Kotetsu still returned Barnaby's hug; holding on perhaps even tighter than Barnaby was.

Neither cared that they were sat on the floor of a very busy shopping mall, or that Barnaby, being something of a celebrity, was beginning to attract a lot of attention. Instead, they continued to hug each other; and Barnaby might have been crying, but he wasn't really sure, it didn't really matter-

And, all of a sudden, he just had an idea.

"I know what you should get Kaede for Christmas," said Barnaby; pulling himself away from Kotetsu so he could look into his eyes.

"A-and what's that, Bunny?"

"Give her something from the heart," said Barnaby; flushing slightly at how embarrassing this whole situation was, but that wasn't gong to stop him talking- not at all. "Just like… that weird, wonky stuffed toy you gave me."

"A stuffed toy…? But Kaede always said she thought my sewing was terrible."

"Yeah, because it kind of _is_." Barnaby smiled. "But… it's special all the same. Do you know I still have that toy? I wouldn't throw it away for anything."

"B-bunny…?"

"Come on," said Barnaby, getting to his feet- extending his hand and pulling Kotetsu up into a standing position beside him. "Let's go and get some thread and material, and whatever it is you need to make a present, then we can go back to my house and you can start sewing. I'm sure Kaede will love it."

"B-but I don't know if there'll be enough time," Kotetsu fretted, snatching his hat up from the floor where it had fallen and putting it back on his head. "I mean, it took me a few days to make your present, and even then it wasn't very good, and-"

"And that only made it better. Don't worry." Barnaby's smile was almost luminous. "I'll help you out."

"You will?"

"Yes, idiot. I'll do my best. Because…" Barnaby flushed with half happy, half sad emotions washing over him all at once; a wave of feeling that made him tremble. "Because… we're family, aren't we?"

And, in a strange, dysfunctional sort of sense, it was true. They really were.

Barnaby hadn't had any 'family' for so long he'd almost forgotten what it felt like- but the warmth that swept through him when Kotetsu took hold of his hand and smiled brought it all back to him in a sudden rush of thoughts and feelings and colors so bright they almost burnt.

This was what having a family was all about; Barnaby was sure of it.

He'd been so empty for so long, but now… it was plainly obvious.

Anybody could see it.

He wasn't alone anymore.

And even if Kotetsu completely botched up Kaede's Christmas present, it'd be fine; it wouldn't matter- because it had been made from love-

And it had come from the heart.

* * *

><p><strong>The End<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>an: **Yay!~ It's finished :3  
>This wasn't really intended to be a shipping BarnabyKotetsu thing, it was really based more on friendship and family and yeah, there's a lot of hugging and blushing but that happens in the anime too XDD  
>It's also really fluffy... XD;;<p>

I hope you liked it, it was very fun to write! ^_^;;  
>Yeah I finished this whole 'fic' in like 2 days, but it's not really a 'fic', it was originally going to be a oneshot collection but I dropped that idea in doing something more connected, to show a slowly building friendship, but the chapters are still incredibly short. I could have smushed them together into a single oneshot, but I think, given how different all the scenes are, that would have made it disjointed, so it was better to treat each of these scenarios as a separate 'chapter' instead. I didn't label them as 'chapters' though because they're incredibly short; instead, they're more like drabbles.<p>

Um, alright, reviews and the like are very much appreciated, I want to know what you think :3  
>Tbf this could probably have been better, but this really was a 'I want to write something friendshippy and fluffy' sort of thing and I didn't think about it too much when I was writing it down XD;<p>

**~renahhchen xoxo**


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